Here’s more from Allan Fernandez, Executive Director of ACG Healthcare…
Personality Traits of a Doctor Determine His/ Her Success in Healthcare
A key trait needed among doctors is empathy. If someone is not naturally empathetic, this quality can be nurtured. Empathy can be nurtured by doing charity work, free clinic services, working with the underprivileged and children with special needs etc. Doctors who exhibit a genuine concern for their patients regardless of age, gender, race, or income will succeed in their healthcare careers.
Another trait a doctor must possess is the drive to become more competent. Every doctor is different but as a Healthcare Administrator who hires doctors, Allan looks at what else a doctor can offer apart from his/her medical degree. For example, what is the general demeanor of the doctor towards his/her patients, how has the doctor impacted the community and profession he/she is in, what efforts has the doctor made to upskill or re-skill him/herself?
If a doctor’s personality is driven by a sense of continuous betterment or improvement of self, this individual is valuable and is bound to succeed in any healthcare field.
The quality of being patient and prudent is another much-needed trait. These days, noted Allan, everyone wants to be an early success or an early millionaire. They are driven by the need for a nice car and nice house and they work 60 to 70 hours to maximize their income by “locuming”. They are akin to bankers who make a lot of money in their late 20’s and suffer burnout in their 40’s “If your motivations are ‘mercenary’, you may be rich but you won’t be successful. There’s a difference between the two.” said Allan.
“But if your definition of success is the longevity of your career and the respect you gain and retain in the community, then you’re motivated by a sense of excellence,” he added. Doctors who are motivated by a sense of excellence need to be patient and prudent and take the necessary steps to reach their goals. While success might take longer to arrive for them, it will surely come and it will be lasting as well. We all know of famed doctors in various towns who are household names because of their “magic touch” in treating their patients.
Some Positives and Negatives of a Career Change for Doctors
The negatives for doctors in making a career change is somewhat subjective and is dependent upon the circumstances facing each person. Considerations for career change could involve questions of does he/she have a family to support, what is his/her financial commitments at the present time, does the doctor lack opportunities to upskill him/herself because he/she is tucked away in a remote corner of the country etc.
Doctors who are making RM 10,000 or more a month in the hospital system would be reluctant to leave “their bird in hand” for something less certain. After all, they have income stability and they fear what might happen should they fail in their career change.
“In my 23 years of being a Healthcare Administrator, it has been surprising for me to see how much pressure doctors put on themselves to succeed. This tends to make doctors risk-averse, especially since failure is not a common experience for them” said Allan. But he emphasized that while their reluctance is understandable, the rewards of taking the risk far outweigh remaining in a “safe” situation, doing the same things over and over again.
As for the positives of a career change in healthcare, “if a doctor wants to distinguish him/herself by being outstanding in his/her chosen field or make career advancements that greatly impact his/her life and the community around them, then he/she should seriously consider a career change. The risk is worth taking but it all depends on what a doctor wants out of his/her career,” said Allan.
General Advice for Doctors
Allan Fernandez advises that doctors ought to have more non-doctor friends. This expansion in social circles is crucial as it broadens doctors’ minds and helps them gain a greater latitude in thinking and in their personality. It causes them to remember who they are as a person and not just what they do for a living. Unfortunately, those who limit themselves to doctors-only circles, invariably place themselves in an eco-bubble.
The truth is, the way doctors interact in hospitals is very different from their interaction within a non-medical social circle where everyone is treated the same and hierarchy doesn’t come into play.
Another piece of advice from Allan is the importance of not letting a doctor’s medical degree define him/her. Doctors are advised to go snowboarding, mountain-climbing, participate in music festivals and more. They are advised to do the things that they wouldn’t normally be associated with. This will be a good way to find an outlet to explore the things they are passionate about. These experiences humanize the doctor and accentuates his/her appreciation for life and the things outside of the medical field.
“One reason I’m advocating for doctors to get into healthcare outside of clinical medicine is because they might not be cut out to be a surgeon or the head of a hospital and that’s okay. There are many other roles in healthcare where doctors could thrive,” said Allan.
The Three Years of HO and MO Training Do Not Define Medicine
Admitting that some practices within the hospital system must go, Allan’s most sobering advice to doctors has to be this: “Don’t be disillusioned about your HO and MO training involving the three years after you graduated, because that’s not medicine. Don’t define your understanding and perception of medicine, and your commitment to the craft based on those three years.” said Allan.
Yes indeed, medicine and for that matter healthcare, comprises far more than those three-grueling years. For that very reason, Allan appreciates the work that Drs Selina Chew and Vivek Subramaniam are doing at Disruptive Doctors. “I have spoken to young doctors and medical students and it’s important to get the message out early regarding other careers in healthcare so that they know where to turn to when the time comes,” said Allan.
Disruptive Doctors hopes this interview with Mr. Allan Fernandez has offered valuable insight to doctors about careers in healthcare.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in these articles are those of the doctors/individuals Disruptive Doctors has interviewed and are based entirely upon the information provided to us by them. Disruptive Doctors is not responsible for any inaccuracy of information conveyed to us.
